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On Saturday, I joined over 5,000 Texans who took to the streets of downtown Austin for the Texas Right to Life March. Marching feet remind us of battle, but for what are we really fighting when we say: “Right to Life?”

“Words matter,” a writing mentor of mine—who happened to be a pro-life attorney—once advised me. A core lesson that I gleaned from attending the 2018 Texas Right to Life March is that words—especially the words we use repeatedly; those words that roll off our tongue without thought—truly do matter. Continue reading →

It’s not about “draining the swamp.” It’s about crossing the swamp—and overcoming the bog in a bold bout much like George Washington’s surprise attack in the Battle of Trenton after crossing the Delaware on Christmas Day, 1776.

Our first President was a good man. He led by example, enduring the cold alongside his men unlike generals of lesser mettle, who shouted commands from a warm tent out of range of fire. Washington took pride in keeping his commitments, personal and professional. Continue reading →

For the past few Mondays, you haven’t heard from me. I had surgery to repair an injury and wanted to update you – many of whom have followed my columns for years – and let you know I still have a passion for the pen. My sincere thanks to all who sent prayers, texts and other forms of encouragement! I’m on track for a full recovery, and hope to return to writing soon.

But bigger than me, I wish address last night’s tragic shooting that left at least 58 dead and over 515 wounded at a country music concert in Las Vegas. A madman-turned-sniper smuggled hundreds of rounds of ammunition, 19 rifles, and two tripods into his room in the Mandalay Bay hotel. Around 10:08 p.m., the sound of gunfire cut through the evening air. Continue reading →

Baby Jesus? Too wholesome for schoolchildren. Colin Kaepernick? Perfect hero material: effeminate; unsportsmanlike and willing to play the victim card. Is this for real? Yep.

A Catholic school is relegating a statue of the Christ child to the basement cobwebs while the National Museum of African American History and Culture is building a display to honor NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick.

What is a statue and what does it represent? Why do we erect statues? These are fundamental questions which we must ask before we surrender to madness. Continue reading →

You’re in second grade, enjoying summer vacation, when a neighbor boy comes out of nowhere and thrusts his fist—hard—into your stomach. For seconds, you gasp for air. He’s no foe. In fact, you would have called him a friend until about three seconds ago. What just happened?

Not all of us have been shell-shocked. But we’ve all had the air knocked out of us at some point. For me, it once happened in the way described above. (The little boy thought he was being funny, although his mother laughed at his joke by grounding him.) Well, last week, Google singlehandedly knocked the air out of all of us.

Roman historian Titus Livius (Livy) would love the new World War II movie, Dunkirk, because Livy believed: “the study of history is the best medicine for a sick mind.”

Livy was not the only prominent Roman thinker to value historical studies. Marcus Tullius Cicero—one of Rome’s finest orators—concurred: “To not know what happened before one was born is to live as a child.” And America’s founding father James Madison agreed with the Romans, warning: “A well-instructed people alone can be permanently a free people.” Continue reading →

“I can hear someone out back and I, I’m not sure if she’s having sex or being raped,” Justine Damond told a Minneapolis, MN police dispatcher at 11:27 p.m. on July 15. Eight minutes passed. No squad car. She re-dialed 911.

Minutes earlier, Damond had been awakened from sleep by a female’s chilling scream. The sound was particularly startling in a neighborhood known for low crime and peaceful streets. After calling the police, Damond called her fiancé and said the sound seemed to be coming from a neighbor’s garage. Continue reading →

In 1984, Ronald Reagan won the Catholic vote. Bush, McCain and Romney failed to repeat Reagan’s feat, but 2016 exit polls show Donald Trump won the Catholic vote by 7%. If Trump and Reagan gained popularity among the faithful by being unafraid to mention God, so too the Catholic Church should be unafraid to speak the truth.

As in 1984, the Catholic Church has a historic opportunity to bring society closer to God in solidarity with the world’s most powerful political leader.

“We want God!” President Trump said last week in Warsaw, Poland. The crowd erupted into wild applause. Continue reading →